Professional Dissertations DMin

Date of Award

2011

Document Type

Project Report

Degree Name

Doctor of Ministry

College

Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary

Program

Doctor of Ministry DMin

First Advisor

Nikolaus Satelmajer

Second Advisor

James J. North

Third Advisor

David Penno

Abstract

Problem

H. M. S. Richards maintains that Seventh-day Adventist preaching should be distinct from the preaching of others. What guidelines does Richards provide for determining what should be included in Adventist preaching, and how can those guidelines be integrated into the preaching at the Kress Memorial Seventh-day Adventist Church?

Method

The books, articles, and sermons of H. M. S. Richards were researched for guidance on what Seventh-day Adventist preaching should include. On the basis of the principles developed from Richards, twelve sermons preached prior to the research were evaluated. Twelve new sermons following Richards’ principles were then written and preached at the Kress Memorial Church. The sermons were evaluated by two retired pastors and one evangelist from the Florida Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.

Results

The research from the study of Richards’ books, articles, and sermons shows the importance of preaching the distinct doctrines of Seventh-day Adventism while maintaining a clear connection to Christ. The evaluations of the twelve sermons preached before the research revealed a lack of focus on doctrines that are important to the Seventh-day Adventist Church. The twelve sermons prepared as a part of this project showed more intentionality in emphasizing Seventh-day Adventist doctrines and their connection to Christ. The study shows that one can be faithful to biblical teaching and its emphasis on Christ and at the same time communicate Seventh-day Adventist doctrines.

Conclusion

The research of H. M. S. Richards’ sermons and writings leads to the conclusion that the Seventh-day Adventist message and mission demands intentionality in preaching. It is not only legitimate, but necessary to preach sermons that reinforce both the understanding of Scripture and the purpose for the existence of Adventism. Such preaching must maintain Christ as the source of salvation. For the spiritual health of the church such sermons should be scheduled into the preaching calendar.

Subject Area

Richards, H. M. S. (Harold Marshall Sylvester), 1894-1985--Sermons; Preaching; Seventh-day Adventist preaching; Kress Memorial Seventh-day Adventist Church (Winter Park, Fla.)

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.

DOI

https://dx.doi.org/10.32597/dmin/579

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